Berserk

[OCH]

A little late with this one, but...

 

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After three years, Kentaro Miura's famous manga series, Berserk, has received a release date for volume 41, collecting its creators' final chapters.

 

One of the best-selling manga of all-time, Berserk, is publishing its much anticipated vol. 41, collecting the final chapters from series creator Kentaro Miura, who tragically passed away this year.

Berserk began serializing in 1989, ongoing for many years with several hiatuses. Kentaro Miura passed away this year from acute aortic dissection, having created what many fans hail as the best manga of all time, even if it sadly remains unfinished. The story is a dark fantasy that centers on Guts and Griffith, mercenaries who begin as allies, but become enemies with differing goals who cause and struggle against numerous horrific events within a demon-filled world. The series had previously undergone a hiatus and was abruptly cut short before the story could be concluded, with a further chapter to be released (assumed to be from Miura) before an uncertain future.

 

According to a report from Anime News Network, Hakusensha - the publisher of Young Animal (the magazine Berserk is serialized in) - has provided a release date for Berserk Volume 41. It will release in December with two different versions. While one is a standard edition, the other will be a deluxe edition that includes canvas art and a drama CD. The drama CD will adapt "Awakening" from Chapter 354. This CD brings back the cast from the anime, as neither of two anime adaptations of the series covered this major turning point within the series. With the first series airing from 1997 to 1998 and the second from 2016 to 2017, this chapter had not yet been written. Now it will finally come to life.

 

Guts’ story in the previous chapter of Berserk left off on another potential turning point, and since May fans have been wondering what will become of the series. This forty-first volume has been a long time in coming since Volume 40 was published back in 2018 in Japan and in 2019 in North America. On Friday, September 10, Hakusensha will also be publishing the eighteenth issue of Young Animal this year. It will feature Chapter 364, which is speculated to be the last chapter Miura wrote. The issue will be a memorial, commemorating Miura's work through series posters and a booklet titled "Messages to Kentaro Miura."

Berserk is a beloved story full of horrors and hardships, which has taught its readers to endure, like its heroes have. The series seemed far from completion and poised to take a new turn, which may never come to fruition in the way it was initially intended. Regardless of whether the next chapter is the story's unexpected end, Berserk will live on with its fans. While the series may yet continue in new hands, Berserk Volume 41 will be the final compilation of Kentaro Miura's work on his masterwork series, coming December 24.

I think I'll get both versions too. I'll keep an eye out for ISBN information. As...

 

Both the special edition and normal edition are currently available to pre-order through Amazon Japan.

 

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Berserk Volume 41 will release in Japan on December 24, 2021. There is currently no word regarding when an English release will arrive.

 

[OCH]

On 23/09/2021 at 19:45, OCH said:

Berserk Volume 41 will release in Japan on December 24, 2021. There is currently no word regarding when an English release will arrive.

This, arrived today. For now it will remain in plastic. Should an English release be announced, that one I'll open. But this is it. The end of Berserk.

[one-armed dwarf]

I got to volume 30 in this and sorta stopped

 

I think at this point I prefer the ritual of collecting these things than actually reading them. I think it struggles to build characters, and Guts is too stoic. It all just feels like buildup tbh, buildup to something which I guess will never be resolved.

 

Spoiler

The stuff I did like was the stuff where humans somewhere along the line figured that selling their souls and entering into an knowing allegiance with demons was preferable to their hell on earth. I think that stuff is sorta interesting

 

I dunno where Dangerman got in his reading, I saw he mentioned some troll stuff. I read that troll stuff, that troll stuff was fucking gross

 

 

[OCH]

10 minutes ago, one-armed dwarf said:

 

I think at this point I prefer the ritual of collecting these things than actually reading them

That's currently my attitude to JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. I'm 2-3 volumes into the fifth story and haven't actually read any of them. 

 

The build up you're referring to does pay off, if I recall. A lot happens between Vol 30 and 41. At least an arc or two. The Troll stuff is pretty grim. The last of that too, I believe.

[one-armed dwarf]

Berserk... Will continue

 

 

 

Here's a website with a clearer version of the text in the 2nd image

 

https://www.hakusensha.co.jp/information/63802/

 

Miura has shared notes/ideas of exactly how he (then) envisioned Berserk would end with Kouji Mori, who is taking over the effort of this continuation

 

[OCH]

Apprehensive. But this is exciting news. I wonder which ending Mori was privy to? Miura conceived an ending very early on in the series and reconsidered it as the story developed. Hoping for the pitch black, bittersweet ending the series deserves.

[one-armed dwarf]

Fully caught up on Berserk now, nearly a year after posting this thread it looks like. Fully caught up as in, went online and read scanlations of the last volume Miura produced as well as nu-Berserk with Mori as the new director.

 

It's one of those things were expectations have been raised so much by people talking about it for literal decades that finally getting through it all, it can't really match what those people led me to expect. I think my interest in 'visual' print based media (eg, comics and manga) isn't as high as a lot of other people's so it's probably an obstacle here as well. But overall, I think it's good but a super uneven bit of work

 

It starts off really messy, I already posted about the Black Swordsman stuff ages ago I think. It's a kinda puerile bit of work at that point that takes a really interesting turn and shows you a demented dark world and then goes into a really interesting

Spoiler

backstory for its main villain

with The Golden Age, which for anyone skimming here it's what the 1997 series is based on, so it's probably a good series to check out maybe (I have not seen it). Then it really got into the doldrums for me with The Conviction Arc, which imo starts with the end of Golden Age and I think from that going into the beginnings of Millenium Falcon (fucking lol on that one, there are so many Star Wars references in the later volumes) it has imo a leering attitude towards the depiction of sexual violence that I was never ok with. I usually have a high enough tolerance to stuff like that in media but it honestly completely lost me towards the middle of the story where it is full of this stuff. Like, if some of the worst parts of Game of Thrones are a 7 or a 8 on the 10 point scale then Berserk is like a 12, imo

 

But I got back into it recently when they announced it was continuing, and the 2nd part of the Han Solo and Chewie arc is actually quite good and the world changes in it are really interesting. Yes it has lots of stuff that Elden Ring rips off. I think eventually it gets to a point with Guts' rent a JRPG party cast of characters where they begin to threaten to become interesting characters.. eventually. Some of them anyway. Then the Fantasia stuff, which is uneven as hell but it actually contains the best moments in the story as well as the worst. I don't envy die hard readers of the series following it for years to get 20 pages of

Spoiler

Captain Bonebeard doing pirates of the carribean bullshit and that being all the Berserk they got for ages. But there's a lot of quiet moments of introspection, backstory and finally some significant plot and character development for its central characters that previously imo were smothered beneath layers of grimdark oppression.

So in what is considered to be its most rubbish arc Berserk became a bit more interesting for me again.

 

Now looking at the 2 new chapters, which have no involvement from Miura at all, they are weirdly bereft of dialogue and you can see the art quality drop a bit. It's kinda signaling towards maybe a more summarised version of events, but still drawn in a manga. So I'd be setting expectations a bit going forward which is a real shame cause the final (?) arc could be the best one potentially, for me anyway. But the reality is I don't think Berserk is something Miura would ever have been prepared to let go, looking at his approach to story telling and world building. I don't believe it would ever be complete. So in another sense this is probably giving the best gift possible to people who want closure on this story. But for me personally, I would wonder if

Spoiler

Rickert's side story

would be a casualty going forward cause it's actually something I'd be interested to see more of, but I don't think they will develop that one cause I doubt it's something they would have had lots of conversations about

 

Now lets see if I can post this or will the website crash

[OCH]

Rickert is an interesting case. His part, since the Eclipse resolution, was always slowly building towards ...something. The pimp slap raised a genuine laugh. It was a well deserved moment. I just found it funny. As I've said before, Miura never used throwaway dialogue. There was a purpose to Rickert, running parallel to Guts and Femto. Will it be realised now? depends how much insight Mori was privy to. I'd like to think there was some discussion after that last Rickert chapter was done.

 

It was a weird juxtaposition that Miura's "final" chapter was so light hearted. Yes, I am aware of everything upto chapter 366. I just hope the ending that Mori had notes on, doesn't conclude in a similar tone. The story of Berserk exists in a world of largely uncompromising cruelty and bleakness. It is intentionally dark and oppressive. The ending needs to reflect that. Some "Guts kills Griffith and unmakes Fantasia" Shonen-type BS would betray that. Although I do think Guts should die, unable to slay Femto. The rest of the story could still end in a bittersweet fashion. There is also Puck/Gut's Behelit still quietly part of the group's belongings, after all.

 

Spoiler

I think this dialogue was foreshadowing in nature. As to Femto's fate.

 

[one-armed dwarf]

Spoiler

I'm not sure I see that, really. I think that guy is a goober who will have more to do with Rickert or will end up with a fairly inauspicious end

 

I think the end for Griffith will be with a realisation that he isn't so special and Femto is a cog in the wheel of causality, or whatever, and his Falconia will end up being a sacrifice for a greater member of the God Hand than him.

 

Unless that's what he actually wants, but if Falconia is the last place left in Midland people can live in it's definitely going to be a sacrifice. So either Falconia isn't actually the kingdom he's trying to have and he's eyes set on something greater, but no way is it not being built for that purpose.

 

edit also there's the whole fact that Griffith is now Casca and Guts' son for some reason, and the impact that'll have to his commitment as 'Femto' of the God Hand. It's already been suggested that the human part isn't completely suppressed yet, briefly in the hill of swords bit. 

 

I don't think it'll end with him being killed or anything but it will end with his utter isolation, and that'll be the lesson

 

[OCH]

The consistent thing to note is that the God Hand don't lie. You use a Behelit. Pay the price for doing so (basically, your humanity and/or ties to the human world) and are granted your heart's desire. There's been no real catch. Griffith always dreamed of his own Kingdom. Thanks to the Eclipse, he now has that. The God Hand in return, had their Fifth Angel resurrected, in Femto. Who I think the general idea is either was Skull Knight or slain by him. I lean more towards the former. Given his rivalry against them. 

 

Spoiler

19 hours ago, one-armed dwarf said:

there's the whole fact that Griffith is now Casca and Guts' son for some reason

Look back on the Conviction Arc. Specifically the Egg of the Perfect World...

 

He ate the foetus, just before birthing Femto. That is how and why they are linked. 

Spoiler

As for Rakshas, Miura never does throwaway lines for no reason. The way that single panel is framed, implies significance and certainly foreshadowing. Miura saying "remember this for later".

 

On that note, Griffith's wish is dependant on all of his sacrifices being claimed by the God Hand. Casca and Guts still count towards that tally. The Brands still doom them, as they have done since the Eclipse. They can't escape that. Unless, perhaps this still comes into play:

[one-armed dwarf]

A lot more of this stuff should be in spoilers, I think.

 

Like I think Dangerman said he'd read up to about volume 30, dunno if he lurks the topic or not though

 

Spoiler

I'll say I'm not fully caught up on what the logic of demon sacrifices entail, it doesn't seem to go very specific into it in these dark horse translations anyway

 

[OCH]

They specified it most with the Count. The deal is, you sell your humanity for power. Power that takes various forms. Forsaking your humanity turns you into a demon/Apostle. One that often resembles your personality/desires.

 

The God Hand are a law unto themselves above the Apostles.

[DANGERMAN]

@one-armed dwarfI'm up to 27, so yes, spoiler tag things please

[one-armed dwarf]

I think I kept my big post above really general and out of the weeds, story wise, it's mostly just overall impressions and broad themes and tone stuff. Just things were going in a bit of a theory crafting direction after that.

 

Tho for avoidance of doubt I'll have another look at it.

[OCH]

I saw someone pose the question will Puck become relevant again, under Mori? Every single kind of laughter emoji was the response.

[one-armed dwarf]

They are re-releasing the 'Golden Age Trilogy' of films from the early 10s, which are a re-adaptation of the same story arc covered by the 1997 series but shiner and more truncated (tho they also include elements that were left out of the original 97 series).

 

I mean I've not seen any of this stuff but that's what I heard anyway

 

https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2022/08/08-1/berserk-the-golden-age-arc-memorial-edition-tv-broadcast-to-feature-new-ending-song

 

 

Cut scenes, some new VA and new music. Would make one wonder about a definitive anime continuation now that there is an ending on the horizon (even if years away still). It's what I'd expect anyway, JoJo eventually got its time to shine with its ongoing anime adaptation, years and years after the OVAs came out in the early 90s. Berserk has been more of a struggler for sure when it comes to this however.

[OCH]

Egg of The King, the last of the three Golden Age films. That one was pretty good. The '97 series did a better job at the earlier parts. They implemented computer generated animation, or something like that, for these films. There was a big deal made about it at the time. But that only really shines during the Eclipse Scene. 

 

Honestly it's really puzzling why they can't get a post-Golden Age Berserk adaptation right?

[one-armed dwarf]

Spoiler

cause post Golden Age Berserk isn't actually that good

🤣

[OCH]

😄 It has it's moments but the build up isn't the same afterwards. I'd have kept revenge obsessed Guts in play for a lot longer than Miura did. Getting rid of Isidro would have made things better too.

[DANGERMAN]

the 97 series is way better than the films imo. They don't feel as grubby as the series, which I think is the closer in terms of tone to the manga.